Loneliness
by Jade Opal
Summary: What happens between Riley and Alex before 'National Treasure? Here's an inside look at the two. Please R R. ONESHOT. Riley/OFC


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Riley Poole, Ian Howe, OR Ben Gates. I only own Alex Gates. Lyrics are as follows: 'Can't Take It In' by Imogen Heap from "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" movie soundtrack; 'Going Under' by Evanesence; and 'Your Eyes' from "RENT" movie soundtrack.**

Riley sat in his chair, sighing angrily as he rubbed the frustration and sleep from his face. He felt like he wanted to murder his co-workers with a spoon…a very blunt and dull spoon. He groans as his head banged on the edge of his desk hard.

Alex was on the couch, watching TV on that wintry afternoon in New York. Dressed in sweats and nursing a gallon of Dutch Chocolate ice-cream, she channel-surfed to find something of interest on the tube. Groaning, she turns the TV off and just eats the gallon in silence.

_Can't close my eyes  
They're wide awake  
Ev'ry hair on my body  
has got a thing for this place  
Oh empty my heart  
I've got to make room for this feeling  
so much bigger than me _

Riley was in the elevator, leaving work for the week. He was finally happy to leave work for a week to helping out Ben Gates. He loosened his tie a little, allowing him to breathe more comfortably.

Alex walked out of her apartment building, all dressed in her usual street clothes and her car keys were jingling in her hand. She walks up half a block before she comes across a black Nissan Altima. She got into the car and started it up before she pulled away from the curb in a way that most street racers normally drive.

_Now I will tell you what I've done for you _

50 thousand tears I've cried  
Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you  
And you still won't hear me  
Don't want your hand this time, I'll save myself  
Maybe I'll wake up for once  
Not tormented...Daily defeated by you  
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom

I'm dying again...

I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
I'm going under

Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies  
So I don't know what's real and what's not  
Always confusing the thoughts in my head  
So I can't trust myself anymore

I'm dying again

I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
I'm going under

So go on and scream  
Scream at me  
I'm so far away  
I won't be broken again  
I've got to breathe  
I can't keep going under

I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
I'm going under

Riley turns on the radio to have "Your Song" by Elton John start playing on the radio. In Alex's car, "El Tango de Roxanne" was blaring in the small space. Alex's face was streaked with tears as she sang along with the song. Back at Riley, tears were forming in his eyes.

Riley pulled up to the loft apartment and killed the engine of his van. He rested his head down on the wheel, avoiding the horn. He closed his eyes as the tears fell down his cheeks.

Alex pulled over on the highway before she broke down completely. She couldn't believe that her heart was broken beyond repair. She placed her head on the steering wheel as she continued to cry.

_Your eyes  
As we said our goodbyes  
Can't get them out of my mind  
And I find I can't hide  
From your eyes  
The ones that took me by surprise  
The night you came into my life  
Where there's moonlight I see your eyes _

How'd I let you slip away  
When I'm longing so to hold you  
Now I'd die for one more day  
'Cause there's something I should have told you  
Yes there's something I should have told you  
When I looked into your eyes  
Why does distance make us wise?  
You were the song all along  
And before this song dies  
I should tell you I should tell you  
I have always loved you  
You can see it in my eyes

"We're going to have someone else join us in terms of helping out," Ben said to both Ian and Riley as the three were sitting down outside a restaurant in Washington D.C. on a sunny mid-March afternoon.

"Someone else is going to be sucked into this?" Ian asked. "Think that you might not be able to-?"

"I can do it, but she's pretty good as well. In fact, she's better than I am at some areas. She's your friend, Ian…you know what she's like," Ben said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Sorry I'm a bit late…getting down here was a mess, if you ask me. God only knows why I'm still staying in New York at a time like this," Alex said as she filled in the last available seat next to Riley.

"Took you five hours to get down here from Manhattan…you're beginning to slip, Alex," Ian said as he smiled at the newcomer.

"Well, it wasn't so bad…just a minor accident on the I-95 getting down here from New Jersey," Alex replied as she took Ben's coffee and took a gulp from it. "God, Ben…you know that French Hazelnut is my addiction," Alex added as she sighed in content.

"Alex, this is Riley Poole. Riley, this is my younger sister, Alexandra. She's going to be the one that going to help out as well," Ben said as he introduced the two.

Alex and Riley looked at one another before muttering a 'hi' to one another. Ian sighed, knowing that this would be really interesting…especially after two years of the death of Ian's former girlfriend, Riley's cousin, Cassandra. And, he knew that they were thown back into each other's lives at that moment.

FIN


End file.
